There are very few songs which have their immortal importance in making the history of a nation. Vande Matram is one of those songs which has inspired thousands of Indians during the pre-independence era and still infuses the love towards the motherland.

Composer of the song and his brief life sketch

The composer of the famous Vande Matram song is Shri Bankim Chand Chatterji, a great Bangla writer and poet. He was born in the year 1838. His ancestral home was in Kotalapara of Bengal. He belongs to a family of learned men and he was the first Indian graduate. Bankim Babu was in Government service, but he still found time to write many songs and novels. ‘Anandmath’ was his best novel.

Inspiration for composing the song Vande Matram’

Here the question arises what inspired Bankim Babu to write such a marvelous song. There are divergent views about this. Some say that once he was travelling by train and seeing the natural beauty of his motherland, he uttered the lines of this famous song. Others are of the opinion that he was inspired by his most stubborn daughter to write this song. His daughter asked him to tell her about her motherland and Bankim Babu uttered the famous lines of Vande Matram. Another view is that the words of this famous song came from the mouth of Bankim while he was asleep and his nephew put them in letters. However, none of these views appear to be authentic. This is fact that this famous song could not have been compose without a great love and feeling for the motherland. Bankim B was fortunate to see the Revolt of 1857 from his own eyes a this episode must have developed in him a feeling to do something for his motherland. Pt. Pravarjairam, a great scholar, inspired lot. While in Government service, he used to come to his Village Kothalara on every Sunday where Pt. Pravajairam taught him Sanskrit. Often Bankim Babu used to say “Janani Janmabhumicha Swargadapi Gariyasi” and perhaps it was only this feeling the inspired him to write this immortal song.

Before 1914, there were divergent views about the year of composition of this song, but now almost all the scholars and country. men believe that this famous song was composed in the year 1875 when Bankim Babu was about 37 years old. The song was first published in the “Bang Darshan’ which was publishing the Anandmath novel of Bankim Babu in series. It was the year 1880, five years after its composition when the song was published in the Bang Darshan.’

Independence movement and ‘Vande Matram’ song

We have already said that the Vande Matram song inspired millions of the countrymen to lay down there lives for their motherland. This famous song which came from the core of the heart of the poet, Bankim Babu, has given the pen-picture of the greatness of our motherland. This was the reason that thousands of countrymen sang this song to reveal their love for motherland. In fact, the song be came the second national song of our nation.

The song, Vande Matram, was given on August 7, 1905 in a meeting organised in Calcutta. Before this song, there was no other song with the Congress, a party which was wedded to the achievement of Swarajya and which ultimately fought for the freedom of this country and achieved it with laurels. Since 1905, the song became the main source of inspiration for the freedom-fighters.

Importance of the song in modern era

The Vande Matram song has still its own importance. When we sing this song a storm of love for our motherland develops in our heart. It is the song which cherishes the memories of those who were born for their motherland, lived for their motherland and died for their motherland and this is the main reason why we love this song as much as we loved it before our independence.

Conclusion

Recently, the century of this famous song has been celebrated. A large number of functions were organised at different places. It is the need of the hour that we should not only sing this song in our schools and colleges and ceremonial functions but also inculcate the feeling that the song exposes viz., the love for our country: the love for our motherland and the glory of the motherland.